Hiking Hellhole Canyon

While in St. George we checked out the Sk8 George Skate Park and longboarded the Snow Canyon/Chuckwalla and Sand Hollow Wash sections of the Saint George trail system.

When we were not longboarding, we were exploring the beautiful mountains and canyons in the area. We had the opportunity to explore the exciting and beautiful Ashdown Gorge, as well as the peaceful Bristlecone Forest.

Our next canyon adventure was Hellhole Canyon!

Quick Info: Hiking Hellhole Canyon

Distance: 3.4 miles

Difficulty: Easy to moderate; there are some rocky trail conditions and some scrambling in the canyon.

Directions: From Saint George, head north on Bluff Street. Take exit towards Red Hills Parkway/Snow Canyon Parkway. Turn left and follow Snow Canyon Parkway for 3.2 miles. Go straight through the traffic circle and continue 0.7 miles before reaching the next traffic circle. Continue straight and after 1.2 miles continue through the next traffic circle until you reach 400 W and take the first exit to the right from the traffic circle. Drive about 3 miles on 400 W/Taviawk Drive. Park along the road next to the Kayenta Sign and pick up the trail in the nearby wash.

Our Experience Hiking Hellhole Canyon

To begin, pick up the trail just downhill from the parking area on the road. Once you locate the wash, there is a brown sign indicating the start of the Hellhole Canyon hike.

From here, the trail starts off as soft, beautifully colored sand through the wash. Then the trail becomes pretty rocky as it continues through the wash. Some of the rocks get pretty large.

The rocks and sand are a beautiful red – matching the beautiful surrounding canyons. The big rocks on the trail make for fun obstacles and challenges. And the smaller rocks make for an exciting game of “don’t touch the lava”!

As we got closer to Hellhole Canyon, the red rock walls towered above us. Here we saw some still water, although we read that there are sometimes streams and small falls. There was also a good amount of trees and plant growth in the canyon. The narrow canyon makes a cool environment for plants and animals.

The trail becomes more narrow and still rocky as it leads you up into the canyon. Having the two canyon walls on both sides provided some good shade!

The farther into the canyon you go, the more difficult the climbs become. After taking the trail up and over a few obstacles, we stopped for lunch and enjoyed the views out from the canyon. From deep inside the canyon we decided to call it an accomplished adventure and turned back.

Thank You for Reading!

This is just one of many awesome hikes that Utah has to offer. If you have any questions or comments about hiking Hellhole Canyon, please leave them in the comment section below!

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